sports from a african american viewpoint

INTEGRITY and THE NFL

INTEGRITY and THE NFL
Gary Norris Gray:- BASN Staff Reporter
On the biggest weekend of the year the National Football League is dealing with the issue of integrity. The League seems to be moving in the direction of the WWF. For those who don’t know what is, that stands for The World Wrestling Federation. In The WWF the participants know before the match has ended who will win and with the events of the past three weeks one needs to question the final scores of the recent NFL playoff games. We also need to question how justice and suspensions are being handed out.

The National Football League could be missing a great opportunity to maintain it’s football dominance as the number one sport in the United States. Football was the king of the sports world but this could be the beginning of the end of that dominance with the recent incidences.

The betting line on the game has dropped twice during the last two weeks meaning millions of dollars have changed hands in Las Vegas. The slipping and sliding integrity of this game could be in question if anything goes wrong on the field this weekend.

After an outstanding regular season it had to end in complete disaster with four major miscues and missed calls on the field. The season ended with the commissioner distributing discipline disproportionately to specific players.

This season did not start well with the immediate suspensions of Baltimore Raven running back Ray Rice and later Minnesota Viking running back Adrian Peterson for alleged domestic abuse. The issues are not the suspensions; the issues are the league’s handling of each case then piling on that player after the fact.

The league suspended Rice the first time for four weeks then turned around and suspended Rice AGAIN indefinitely. This occurred after the TMZ showed the ugly incident on National Television. THAT’S DOUBLE JEOPARDY.
The NFL went into spin mode with public service announcements about spousal abuse. It’s was too little, too late. The League knew about spousal abuse for years and ignored it.

At the very same time Indianapolis Colt owner Ron Irsay was arrested for alleged DUI. Irsay did not receive a league decision for his misconduct until almost nine months later. Next, Pittsburgh Steeler quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s and Green Bay Packer Britt Favre’s alleged sexual misconduct never were addressed and received light sentences. Both players were given passes while the investigations continued.

In New Orleans in 2012 the SHERIFF threw the book at the Saints Head Coach Sean Payton and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. On March 21, 2012, Williams was suspended from the NFL as a result of his (admitted) involvement in the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal. Bounties were paid for causing injuries that would take targeted players on opponent teams out of games.

Williams was suspended indefinitely because he was messing with the product. Williams directed Saints players to hurt stars in the league and that cannot happen. Goodell threw down the hammer. It was the only time Goodell handed out lengthy suspensions to Caucasian members of the National Football League.

Two years ago Philadelphia Eagle wide receiver Riley “I will fight every N***** here” Cooper stated these words. He was trying to go backstage at a concert in Philadelphia. A Black security guard would not let him pass. The Philadelphia Eagles fined and suspended him for one game but the league did nothing. DOUBLE STANDARD. The League had instituted a language policy a few months earlier which was a 15 yard penalty for using the N-word. It did not last long because The League could not explain how the R-word worked.

Five years ago Michael Vick was immediately suspended for the alleged dog fighting ring in the Atlanta Area. This was done without any evidence given to the commissioner’s office. Again the sanctions were swift, decisive, and immediate.

The issue for the NFL and the Commissioner is the double standard with these legal actions.

Black players should be questioning THE NEW SHERIFF, Roger Goodell and his recent disciplinary actions between Black and Caucasian players.

The year ended with some very interesting calls on the field in this year’s playoff.

1) For example, in the Dallas Cowboy Detroit Lion playoff game, Dallas wide receiver Dez Bryant walked on the field in the fourth quarter without a helmet arguing a call, after a controversial play. The play was being reviewed by the instant replay official upstairs. Players know they are not allowed to go on the field without their equipment.

By league rules Bryant’s actions warranted an immediate 15 yard penalty for player misconduct.

2) A no call for defensive interference and face guarding on the same play which would have been another 15 yards or the spot of the ball. Either way, The Detroit Lions would have had the ball and the lead on the Dallas side of the field. GAME OVER Lions would have moved on in the playoffs.

The officials’ missed three calls in one play

FOLLOW THE MONEY!!!!! As my friend Cowboy Reggie Howell states many times.

The League needed the Cowboys in the playoffs for network ratings.
The Dallas Cowboys are one of four AMERICA’s TEAM and they could not exit the playoffs AGAIN with a wild card loss.

For those that don’t know who are the HALLOWED FOUR, it’s the Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers, and the Denver Broncos. Did you notice all four teams were in the playoffs this year?

3) The reverse call by the replay official in the Dallas Green Bay game of the Des Bryant touchdown catch in the end-zone which in fact was clarified as a legal catch and should have been a Dallas score ending the game. The Dallas Cowboys should have been playing the Seattle Seahawks for the National Football Conference Title.

Now if you’re a conspiracy theorist this fits perfectly. A MAKE UP CALL in Green Bay Dallas game because the majority of fans in America were so upset with the non-call the week earlier in Detroit. Sports talk radio could not get off of this subject for days and days.

4) The final straw that put the icing on this disaster, was DEFLATE GATE, where the New England Patriots used footballs that were not up to regulated league pressure standards the first half in the American League Conference Championship with the Indianapolis Colts.

This team with a very shady past was involved in another controversy event at a very inopportune time. With football fans watching and waiting for the Super Bowl.

This happened BACK TO BACK TO BACK.

It is not good for the National Football League nor Roger Goodell. The integrity baggage is getting heavier and the league is losing credibility.

The once invincible NFL seems to be crawling on it’s hands and knees.
This league is beginning to look like the WWF. The good guys are the New England Patriots and Captain America Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski vs. The Bad Guys the Seattle Seahawks-Legion of BOOM and The Field General Russell Wilson with Mr. Sherman.
Richard Sherman stated a few days ago what I’ve been thinking .. The New England Patriots will never get fined or suspended WHY? because the owner of the Patriots Robert Kraft are buddy-buddy with the Commissioner of the National Football League, Roger Goodell. Kraft has influence on the other owners and it would be difficult for Goodell to punish this organization AGAIN!!
At least Sherman put the information out there for everybody to see and he never bites his tongue when he speaks. The NFL is in trouble if they do not reprimand this REPEAT OFFENDER.
The Shield will mean nothing. Can we ALL SAY WWF?
They need to right this ship or this Titanic might sink..

This SUPER BOWL should be a great moment in NFL history, instead it will become the most shameful moment.

This Super Bowl had every intention of being a classic instead it is clouded in doubt AND deception.

1) The NFL has to suspend Head Coach Belichick FOR A YEAR and fine the New England Patriots or the League will lose all creditability.

Thirteen years ago ….
History would have been different if the league had not changed the quarterback tuck rule for the New England Patriots.
This is another Oakland Raider Rule.

NFL Rule 3, Section 22, Article 2, Note 2. When [an offensive] player is holding the ball to pass it forward, any intentional forward movement of his arm starts a forward pass, even if the player loses possession of the ball as he is attempting to tuck it back toward his body. Also, if the player has tucked the ball into his body and then loses possession, it is a fumble

The Patriots were playing for the American Conference Championship against the Oakland Raiders. The clock was running out in the fourth quarter. We all know that quarterback Tom Brady fumbled the ball and it should have been Raider ball. GAME OVER BUT…..

New England won the game as the instant replay official stated it was the Patriots ball and not a fumble. New England kicked a field goal to tie the game at 13 and the rest is history. The New England Patriots moved on to four more Super Bowls while the Oakland Raiders would only have one winning season since. The League wanted to move away from the rough and tough Silver and Black, away from the Northern California team to the Northeastern team called the Patriots.

Now the National Football League will pay with integrity issues and the cheating New England Patriots, one of America’s AFC team. This team got caught in The Spy-gate episode years ago in New York. THE DIE HAS BEEN CAST.

FOLLOW THE MONEY!!!!!

Let’s continue, this SUPER BOWL generated all the ingredients of a good war story, a cowboy western, or a good Perry Mason Law episode on television. Everything Americans wanted
A) It’s the image of hero’s black vs. white
b) It’s two great quarterbacks Brady vs. Wilson
c) It’s outstanding defenses with corner backs Sherman vs. Revis
d) It’s the Seahawk defense vs. Pats offence, the immovable object against the powerful irresistible force.

Questions will remain until the game has ended Sunday night.

e) How much will deflate-gate affect this game? Ten percent of any game is the mental state of the player or a team. Will this controversy help or hinder The New England Patriots?
f) How much will the (ZEBRAS), officials affect the game? A blown call could mean a Super Bowl victory.